Navigating Parenting, Marriage and more with MS

Tag: Pneumonia

One of the worst things about MS treatment is the fact that it has to shut down your immune system to keep your body from attacking the brain.

Due to treatments I have had an uncountable amount of colds that turned to sinus infections since 2014. I had sinus surgery in 2016, hoping that fixing my double deviated septum and small sinus pathways would reduce the frequency of sinus infections from the inflammation caused by colds. It did not, it did however make it so that I was unaware when I had a sinus infection until very far in because my face didn’t start to throb as soon as it had before as a result of all the extra space I had made.

Recently I got sick suddenly and after 3 days of high fever I finally decided to go to the doctor. By the day I went in my fever was up to 102.3 and I was seeing things. Looking back I probably should have went to the ER but I HATE the ER. I spend enough time there already and I was afraid if I went to the ER they would admit me.

Even after taking Tylenol I still had a fever when I arrived at the doctor. They did a Flu test, thinking that was a logical assumption with my comprised immune system and my symptoms. Though I do get the flu shot every year since 2006. 12 minutes later, it was not the flu. It was determined I had “communal pneumonia”.

Even after taking 2 types of antibiotics 3 times a day for 10 days I still felt terrible. My lungs no longer felt like sandpaper when I coughed but my fatigue was worse, the cough and congestion still there. Pain breathing anytime I exerted any type of effort.

Three weeks later and I am still recovering. That is the price of treating MS, everything takes longer to heal. It’s not something you can avoid when you have kids either, they have to go to school and they are constantly around other kids who may or may not be sick. They come home and you cannot decontaminate them fast enough or well enough to catch every possible thing.

So during winter I dread every sniffle and cough, is this allergies or has my child been given some terrible germ that will eventually wreak havoc on my already terrible immune system.

Hang in there, but if you have any good tips please let me know because I am so tired of getting sick!